AI Nudge

Problem Statement

Here's the thing — we're all paying for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, whatever. And yet half the time we forget to use them. You're 20 minutes into manually formatting a spreadsheet before it hits you: "wait, AI could've done this in seconds." The tools exist. The habit doesn't.

Hypothesis

What if the new tab page — something you open 30+ times a day without thinking — quietly reminded you that AI exists? Not in an annoying way. Just... there. Alongside the time, weather, and whatever's trending on Product Hunt.

Solution

AI Nudge replaces the default Chrome new tab page with an intelligent productivity hub that combines utility with AI awareness:

• AI-Generated Inspiration — motivational quotes powered by OpenAI, refreshed every 30 minutes to keep content fresh without being noisy
• One-Click AI Access — shortcut tiles to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and other AI tools so they're always one click away
• Contextual Utility — local time, weather via OpenWeather API, and trending Product Hunt launches to keep you informed
• Customizable Nudging — users control when and how often the AI prompt appears — respecting attention, not hijacking it
• Privacy-First Architecture — all API keys stored locally in browser storage. Zero data leaves the device. No analytics, no tracking

Screenshots

Technical Architecture

All client-side. No server, no database. Minimal permissions: storage, geolocation (with consent), notifications.

Key Product Decisions

• New tab as the surface — Chosen over a sidebar or popup because new tab is the highest-frequency, lowest-friction touchpoint. Average user opens 20–50 new tabs per day
• No account required — Users bring their own API keys. This eliminates auth complexity, reduces trust barriers, and means zero ongoing infrastructure cost
• 30-minute quote refresh — Tested faster intervals (5 min, 15 min) but they became wallpaper. 30 minutes balances freshness with noticeability
• Opt-in geolocation — Weather only appears after explicit consent. Graceful fallback to manual city entry if denied

Impact & Metrics

Lessons Learned

• Behavior change beats feature count. The extension does 5 things, but the core value is one thing: making you think about AI at the right moment. Every other feature exists to earn the right to deliver that nudge
• Privacy as a feature, not a constraint. "No server" isn't a limitation — it's a trust accelerator. Users are far more willing to enter API keys when they can verify nothing leaves their browser
• The best distribution is zero friction. Chrome extensions install in one click. No signup, no onboarding wizard, no email verification. The time from "interested" to "using" is under 10 seconds

Links

GitHub Repository ↗